Entertainment
5 Standalone Fantasy Books That Don’t Require a Series Commitment
Fantasy readers know the feeling of picking up a new book because the premise sounds incredible, only to discover that you’ve just signed yourself up for six more installments, three prequels, and an encyclopedia’s worth of lore. Although there is much to be enjoyed in the lengthy fantasy series, there are some times when readers would prefer a story that fulfills all of its promises by the end of the volume. Fortunately, there are many fantasy novels that do just that.
If you are looking for innovative stories, interesting characters, and magic without being bound to a series, these five novels will be perfect. The stories here can vary from weird and gloomy to heartwarming and terrifying, and they are all told in stand-alone volumes.
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi drops its protagonist into one of the strangest fantasy settings imaginable: a seemingly infinite structure known simply as the House. The great halls of the House contain numerous sculptures, while clouds drift in the upper areas and water waves in the lower areas, periodically sending ripples through its walls. Piranesi’s life is spent exploring the House, discovering its secrets, and tending the corpses. He believes there are only 15 people in existence, although he regularly meets one living person, the mysterious Other, who is searching the House for something called the Great and Secret Knowledge. Then Piranesi begins finding evidence that his own memories can’t explain.
Part of what makes Piranesi such a satisfying standalone is how completely Clarke commits to its central mystery. The book doesn’t need a sprawling mythology or multiple sequels to explain every corner of the House; its unanswered questions are part of what makes the world so compelling. As Piranesi pieces together the truth about his identity and how he came to be trapped there, the story shifts from an eerie exploration of an impossible world into something much more personal. It’s an especially good pick for readers who want fantasy that feels unusual and literary rather than familiar, and at roughly 250 pages, it’s also a relatively painless commitment.
This Is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone authored This Is How You Lose the Time War, which is a short novel full of stories. The characters, named Red and Blue, are agents of two opposing nations who are competing for victory in the ongoing war. Red and Blue are enemy agents fighting for rival empires in a war that spans multiple timelines and realities. Their missions involve traveling through history and changing events so their respective sides can win, but their rivalry takes an unexpected turn when they begin leaving messages for one another.
At less than 200 pages, this book is an ideal choice for those who enjoy fantasy but are short on time. Many novels fail to tell a complete story in a short volume; this is not the case for El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s story. The authors kept their plot simple and focused on the love story of Red and Blue, avoiding the need to complicate matters for readers by explaining other aspects of their Time War in detail. The result is romantic, strange, and remarkably dense, with a story that feels much larger than its page count.
The Night Circus
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a great option for those looking for a short fantasy novel. Le Cirque des Rêves is a magical show that pops up out of nowhere, opens its doors only at night, and disappears as suddenly as it appears in the morning. The core of the show is the competition between two young magicians, Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, taught by their respective mentors from childhood. Although they do not know one another’s identities from the very beginning, they are meant to compete until one of them gives up. However, once they discover their rival’s identity, their relationship becomes more complex as they realize they are in love with each other.
The true magic of The Night Circus lies in the atmosphere. Morgenstern invests just as much effort in creating a thrilling circus vibe as in narrating the main contest, enriching it with mesmerizing tents, tricky illusions, and performers seemingly untouched by time. Its non-linear scheme and alternating POVs help the novel achieve broad scope, but the events remain confined to a single narrative.
Kindred
In Kindred, Octavia E. Butler uses time travel as a device to explore themes of slavery, family, and the parts of history one cannot escape. The protagonist, Dana, is a young Black woman living in Los Angeles in 1976 who is suddenly transported to Maryland in the 19th century, where she meets Rufus Weylin, the son of a white plantation owner. Dana learns that Rufus is part of her family tree and has to repeatedly go back in time to help him survive long enough to bear her child, who becomes part of Dana’s lineage.
Although Kindred incorporates science-fiction and fantasy elements, its emotional significance comes from Butler’s decision to keep the story grounded in Dana’s experience. The purpose of her travels is to connect the modern woman with her past. Although it is a very intense and, at times, ruthless piece of writing, the book is coherent and analyzes topics such as race, power, family, survival, and memory without resorting to further fiction.
Juniper & Thorn
Ava Reid’s Juniper & Thorn is the choice for anyone whose definition of fantasy includes the words “deeply unsettling.” The gothic horror novel follows Marlinchen, a young witch living with her two sisters and their tyrannical wizard father in a city caught between old magic and industrial progress. The sisters are among the last true witches of Oblya, but their father keeps them isolated while exploiting their abilities. When Marlinchen sneaks into the city and meets Sevas, a ballet dancer who captures her attention, she begins imagining a life beyond the walls of her father’s home. Meanwhile, a monster is stalking the city, and Marlinchen’s increasingly dangerous circumstances force her to confront both the creature outside and the darkness within her own family.
Juniper & Thorn is a particularly good standalone for readers who want something that feels like a traditional fairy tale before taking a very sharp turn into horror. Reid reworks The Juniper Tree into a story about control, abuse, desire, hunger, and identity, creating a world that becomes increasingly disturbing as Marlinchen begins to understand the reality she’s been living in. It’s not an easy read — the novel contains extensive content warnings for subjects including eating disorders, self-harm, sexual abuse, parental abuse, gore, and body horror — but it is also intensely atmospheric and character-driven.
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Few science-fiction franchises have had the cultural impact of Star Wars. Since the original film was released in 1977, it has become one of the most recognizable franchises in popular culture. It influences everything from filmmaking and CGI technology to toys and merchandising. The franchise grew even larger after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and opened the floodgates to more Star Wars stories. But cultural impact and sheer popularity do not automatically make something the best, especially if you look at the franchise as a whole.
Here, we take a look at the select franchises that are better than Star Wars. It may sound impossible, but these franchises excel in areas where Star Wars has sometimes struggled, from storytelling expansion to tackling more sophisticated ideas. What’s interesting about these franchises is that there are some mutual names involved, and they either created these franchises or energized them for the new generation. Star Wars may remain the king of sci-fi, but these are the franchises that can legitimately challenge its throne.
1
‘Blade Runner’ (1982–Present)
Directed by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner follows Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a weary blade runner tasked with hunting down escaped replicants in a dystopian future. Denis Villeneuve followed it up decades later with Blade Runner 2049. The sequel expands that universe, now following replicant officer K (Ryan Gosling) as he uncovers a secret that could change the relationship between humans and artificial beings.
Across both films, the franchise has built one of science fiction’s richest visions of the future, and also one of the most influential. The Blade Runner franchise may be small compared with Star Wars, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in ambition and consistency. It combines noir detective fiction, breathtaking production design, and deeply philosophical storytelling. Blade Runner 2049 is particularly impressive because it manages to expand the mythology while preserving the mood and intellectual seriousness of the original, something Star Wars has struggled to maintain across its increasingly sprawling canon, especially after Disney’s acquisition. The true test of the franchise will be its first series, Blade Runner 2099, led by Hunter Schafer.
2
‘Avatar’ (2009–Present)
James Cameron‘s Avatar franchise began in 2009 with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former Marine who travels to Pandora and operates an artificially grown Na’vi body as part of a scientific expedition. Also working to gather intelligence for a corporation seeking Pandora’s resources, Jake gradually becomes immersed in Na’vi society and falls in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). He becomes a key figure in the tribe and has a big family, as seen in the sequels.
Star Wars was revolutionary for its technological advancements. However, those advancements seemed to slow down after the prequel series. The franchise adopted a retro look to replicate the original trilogy that became a standard for the subsequent entries. Avatar, however, is simply breathtaking in its world-building and pioneering new tech, such as motion capture and CGI. Cameron created an ecosystem in which the geography, animals, plants, and cultures of Pandora all feel interconnected. The films also use their spectacular visuals to reinforce their themes of environmental exploitation, colonialism, and humanity’s relationship with nature. Cameron’s commitment to pushing visual-effects technology has also allowed the franchise to repeatedly redefine what audiences consider possible in blockbuster filmmaking.
3
‘Alien’ (1979–Present)
The Alien franchise began as a horror film in which the crew of the spaceship fights for survival as a deadly alien is loose aboard their vessel. The sequel amps up the action while still focusing on Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The recent films vary from horror space-adventure to survival horror, with the most recent one, Alien: Romulus, taking on a smaller-scale approach but still delivering the usual thrills of the franchise.
Alien is almost as old as Star Wars, but the fact that this franchise can reinvent itself without losing its identity edges out the franchise set in a galaxy far, far away. Alien, Aliens, and even Alien 3 are radically different films, yet all feel unmistakably part of the same universe. Prometheus injects a new thematic core to the franchise. While the result may be mixed, it is a brave step. Its first series, Alien: Earth, expands the franchise’s storytelling scope. At its best, the franchise combines groundbreaking creature design, atmosphere, practical effects, memorable characters, and genuinely mature science-fiction ideas.
4
‘The Matrix’ (1999–2021)
The Matrix follows Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a computer programmer and hacker known as Neo, who discovers that the world he knows is actually a simulated reality created by machines that have enslaved humanity. Guided by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Neo joins the resistance and fulfills the prophecy as The One. The Matrix Resurrections revisits Neo’s story but also subverts expectations by delivering a critique of nostalgia.
In some respects, The Matrix is an obvious franchise on this list to argue that it is better than Star Wars. Its central concept remains extraordinarily focused, and it’s always pushing the limits of filmmaking. Its central premise is undeniably ambitious and cerebral, questioning reality, identity, and control. The original film, in particular, is almost perfectly constructed as a blockbuster, and the sequels go even bigger. Even the animated spin-off, The Animatrix, is a respectable entry that captures the spirit and themes of the movies. Its influence on popular culture and action filmmaking is simply enormous. Star Wars may have the larger universe and greater longevity, but The Matrix arguably has the stronger philosophical foundation and themes.
5
‘Dune’ (2021–Present)
Frank Herbert‘s Dune has always been one of science fiction’s most ambitious stories. The book is a dense, sprawling story of politics, religion, and power. After several ambitious adaptations, Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune films finally demonstrated what the material could accomplish. The story follows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), whose family is given control of the desert planet Arrakis. After the family’s downfall, he follows the path laid for him as Lisan Al-Gaib.
It is no secret now that Star Wars borrows heavily from Dune. It’s just unfortunate that Dune wasn’t adapted first into a film. While David Lynch’s version has its supporters, Villeneuve’s films have put the title back on the map. The film’s success has won new devoted viewers. The films are huge in scale, and they are also ambitious in their storytelling. Star Wars remains more accessible and arguably more fun, but Dune offers a more sophisticated look at power and heroism. With its star-studded cast, the films are simply unmissable and have even spurred a respectable spin-off series, Dune: Prophecy. The end of the saga, Dune: Part Three, will arrive this December.
Dune
- Release Date
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September 15, 2021
- Runtime
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155 minutes
- Director
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Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
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Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert
Entertainment
Tom Hardy and Christopher Nolan Officially Reunite on the WWII Epic Taking Over Streaming
Christopher Nolan has tackled everything from superhero epics to science fiction, but they say all great directors have to make a great war movie at some point, don’t they? Nolan must have felt the weight of expectation because in 2017, he followed in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, David Lean, Quentin Tarantino and more.
Almost a decade later, Dunkirk has officially landed on the beaches of Paramount+ after it became one of Nolan’s biggest successes critically and financially. Dunkirk opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea, they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in. The story unfolds on land, sea and air. RAF Spitfires engage the enemy in the skies above the Channel, trying to protect the defenseless men below. Meanwhile, hundreds of small boats, manned by both military personnel and civilians, are mounting a desperate rescue effort, risking their lives in a race against time to save even a fraction of their army. The story unfolds across three separate timelines in another of Nolan’s famous clock-watching ideas.
The cast is led by Fionn Whitehead (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) as Tommy, alongside Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Farrier, Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) as the Shivering Soldier, Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) as Mr. Dawson, Kenneth Branagh (Murder on the Orient Express) as Commander Bolton, Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) as George, Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) as Collins, and Harry Styles (Don’t Worry Darling) as Alex.
How Successful Was ‘Dunkirk’?
Dunkirk has remained one of Nolan’s most critically acclaimed movies, currently holding a 92% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes from 469 reviews, alongside an 81% audience score. The critical consensus has particularly praised Nolan’s command of the movie’s spectacle and its ensemble cast.
The movie was also a major commercial and awards success, grossing approximately $525 million worldwide and receiving eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Nolan’s first for Best Director. It ultimately won three Oscars for Film Editing, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing, cementing its status as one of the most decorated movies of Nolan’s career.
Dunkirk is streaming now on Paramount+.
- Release Date
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July 21, 2017
- Runtime
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106 minutes
Kelsea Ballerini is coming to Stella Lefty’s defence after the “Thinking ‘bout You” singer ruffled some feathers with her recent appearance at Grand Ole Opry.
Lefty has been in the line of fire from some online critics after she made her Opry debut on Tuesday, September 1. The following day, the Opry shared footage via its Instagram account of Lefty performing her hit “Boston” with two young St. Jude patients.
The video received some negative comments, including accusations that Lefty is a “nepo baby.” (Lefty’s dad is Eric Lefkofsky, the co-founder of Groupon and a CEO of a biotech company.)
Others threw shade at the singer for using Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” in the hit song while some people expressed their opinion that Lefty didn’t deserve the honor of performing at the Nashville institution.
Kelsea Ballerini isn’t afraid of reinventing herself — both on stage and off — and her current chapter in New York City is just the latest example. “I’ve always wanted to have a little New York moment,” Ballerini, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Amplify Your Ambitions Singing Concert & Competition, presented by SoFi, […]
Commenting on the video, Ballerini, 32, clapped back at Lefty’s haters.
“Opry member chiming in!!” Ballerini wrote. “Yes, the Opry is about honoring the legacies and the people that have inspired both me and her. But, from different backgrounds and hometowns and generations, we can find ways to say and sing things that resonate with people that fill the seats…and that is always the goal right?”
The “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer continued, “This backstage moment is beautiful. And y’all in the comments continue to not honor the people the actual Opry house opens its arms to. It’s about celebration of all kinds of country music…new, old, traditional, current, however you wanna say it. It’s all important, and it should all be able to be shared in our safest and most sacred stage in country music.”
Ballerini further urged, “Celebrate music like the Opry does. ❤️”
Stella Lefty. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
In an additional comment, Ballerini continued to emphasize her point of view and stress that the performance was for a good cause.
“DOUBLING DOWN that this is a video of her singing to St Jude’s patients,” she added. “Yall go get some sleep.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair published on August 21, Lefty addressed the “nepo baby” criticism leveled at her because of her father and his billionaire status.
“Obviously there’s going to be this conversation around it, which I totally understand,” Lefty told the publication. “Me and my dad have spoken about this a lot since I even started music. He was like, ‘The truth will set you free.’”
Lefty noted that a benefit of her privileged upbringing was time to work on her craft without pressure to find a way to pay the bills.
“I had the ability to really explore, and I didn’t have a stopwatch. I felt like I had this cushion,” she said.
Last week, the world lost a true acting legend as Tim Curry passed away aged 80. The star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Clue, and Muppet Treasure Island was one of Hollywood’s recognizable faces and voices, having pioneered groundbreaking projects and lent his unmistakable tone to many iconic characters. After suffering a serious stroke in 2012, his on-screen career was curtailed, but his many show-stealing performances remain favorites in households around the world.
Curry’s most famous performances include being buried underneath makeup as Darkness in Ridley Scott‘s Legend, as the groundbreaking Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show and its subsequent movie, and as Wadsworth in the iconic murder mystery Clue. Curry was a three-time Tony Award nominee, a Daytime Emmy winner, and a two-time recipient of an Olivier nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He was best known for his villainous performances, with few better than his nightmare-inducing turn as Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries based on Stephen King‘s It.
Childish, depraved, and utterly compelling, Curry’s Pennywise is to this day one of the most frightening performances in screen history and remains the reason many are still scared of clowns. His ever-expressive face allowed for minimal prosthetics to be used, freeing Curry to take each beat and twist it into fuel for nightmares. In memory of his passing, millions are returning to this iconic performance to pay their respects. At the time of writing, Tommy Lee Wallace‘s It is one of the ten most-watched titles on HBO Max in the U.S., a list topped by Bob Odenkirk‘s new action movie, Normal.
‘It’ Would Later Break a Huge Record
Following Wallace and Curry’s memorable adaptation, It would cement itself in screen history in 2017 courtesy of Andy Muschietti‘s adaptation of the flashback portions of King’s novel. Starring the likes of Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Martell, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, this modern adaptation would prove an enormous hit with audiences, earning more than $700 million at the global box office and becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time, a record that stands to this day.
It is a hit on HBO Max. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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1990 – 1990
- Directors
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Tommy Lee Wallace
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Harry Anderson
Richie Tozier
The last few years have been eerily quiet for Quentin Tarantino, who hasn’t directed a feature film since 2019’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The official sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning film, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, is set to premiere later this year in IMAX on November 25 before arriving on Netflix a few weeks later. Tarantino did not direct the film — David Fincher did — but he did pen the script for the Brad Pitt-led sequel, marking his first script that’s made it to the screen since 2019. There were whispers for years that Tarantino was going to make one final movie about a film critic, but this idea is seemingly dead in the water. There’s no word yet on if he will ever direct another movie or if his directorial career is over.
While Quentin Tarantino doesn’t share any stylistic overlap with Christopher Nolan, the two directors do have one thing in common: both directors have prioritized quality over quantity in their careers. Unlike other all-time great directors like Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg, Tarantino has only directed a handful of movies, but he’s spent extra time on each, ensuring that all of his films are up to specific quality standards. One of the most underrated movies of his career came all the way back in 2015 when he teamed up with Kurt Russell and Walton Goggins for The Hateful Eight, which grossed over $160 million at the global box office against a reported budget of around $44 million. The film follows a bounty hunter and his prisoner who are forced to seek shelter in the middle of a frosty Wyoming cabin inhabited by nefarious characters.
Here’s How To Watch ‘The Hateful Eight’ on Streaming
The Hateful Eight is available to stream via Lionsgate’s streaming service, MovieSphere, but it’s also on Fawesome TV, the streaming service that’s completely free, minus the cost of a few ads throughout a movie. The Hateful Eight earned scores of 74% from critics and 77% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and while this does put it at the lower end of Tarantino’s filmography, they are still solid scores that would be closer to the top of the list of most other directors. Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tim Roth also have key roles in The Hateful Eight. The cleanest elevator pitch for The Hateful Eight is The Thing meets The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The film features all the snowy isolation and paranoia you’d want from a Western that also boasts some brutal scenes, especially at the end.
Check out The Hateful Eight streaming for free on Fawesome TV and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Quentin Tarantino’s future and past projects.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2015
- Runtime
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188 minutes
- Producers
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Bob Weinstein, Georgia Kacandes, Harvey Weinstein, Richard N. Gladstein, Shannon McIntosh
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You’ve got tees, blouses and plenty of cardigans in your closet, but nothing that carries you from errands to boardroom meetings looking like a millionaire. Blazers are an easy way to elevate your aesthetic, but they usually cost hundreds . . . until now. We found a chic, polished blazer on sale for only $44!
This Cicy Bell Casual Blazer has more than 11,700 five-star ratings on Amazon, with shoppers coming back for the same reason: It looks and feels much more expensive than it is, like something you’d pull off a rack at Aritzia or Banana Republic, not a bestseller list.
Get the Cicy Bell Casual Blazer for $44 (was $59) on Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
Here’s what makes it work. The buttery-soft fabric is wrinkle-resistant, the lapel collar keeps things structured and the slim fit skims your figure without squeezing. Better yet, the single-button closure gives you that clean, tailored shape when you want it, and the open-front drape works when you don’t.
One happy shopper raved, “This jacket is amazing! The fabric is of very decent thickness and quality is quite rich. The black color is deep and rich-looking.”
Another five-star fan shared, “The quality is comparable to one of my $400 blazers, so I’ll be buying this brand from now on.”
Throw it over a white tee and jeans for lunch, layer it over a silk cami for dinner or wear it with trousers to the office. No matter how you style this ultra-classy layer, people will assume you got promoted.
The khaki version is having a moment right now, and honestly, so is every other shade it comes in. With 31 dreamy colors to choose from, you’ll want at least two. Snag the deal while your size is still in stock, and hurry!
Get the Cicy Bell Casual Blazer for $44 (was $59) on Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more chic blazers, and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
UsNow Fall Sale Alert: These chic fashion finds are up to 60% off – plus free shipping
Welcome to fall with our biggest sale of the season. Our favorite dresses, tops, handbags, and shoes are all on sale + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.
North of the Manhattan madness, you’ll find a quiet haven of old money living, which includes sprawling family estates, acres of rolling land and country clubs in every town. Equal parts timeless, rustic and luxe, upstate New York fashion is just as swoon-worthy as the aesthetic, and I found 17 stylish fall pieces that could […]
Everyone loves a creature feature and sadly, we don’t see as many of them these days as we’d like. But they’ve long been the source of turning the natural world into something terrifying, like the ocean in Jaws, the ocean in The Meg, the ocean in… well, you get the picture. This movie took that idea and transplanted it to Africa, and it combined a historical adventure with a quite unbelievable true story of two lions that ended up terrorizing railway workers in Kenya at the tail end of the 19th century. Now, you can experience it too.
The Ghost and the Darkness has officially joined Paramount+, giving the 1996 adventure thriller a new streaming home following its September 1 arrival. Directed by Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2) from a screenplay by William Goldman (The Princess Bride), the movie turned the story of the Tsavo man-eaters into a big-budget Hollywood production.
In the film, the lions are killing for sport rather than for food, and they have an almost supernatural knack for knowing what traps await them. Big-game hunter Remington and construction engineer Patterson set out to stop these unstoppable monsters. But, in this astonishing tale of man against beast, the hunters become the hunted.
The cast of the film includes Val Kilmer (Top Gun) as John Henry Patterson, Michael Douglas (Basic Instinct) as Charles Remington, Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton) as Robert Beaumont, John Kani (Black Panther) as Samuel, Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) as Dr. Hawthorne, Brian McCardie (Rob Roy) as Angus Starling, Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island) as Helena Patterson, and Om Puri (East Is East) as Abdullah.
Is ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ Any Good?
The Ghost and the Darkness received mixed reviews, and currently holds a 51% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences responded more positively with a 75% score. The movie also received recognition from the Academy Awards, winning the Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing. It earned around $75 million globally during its original theatrical run and the real life story behind the film is just as fascinating and bizarre as the movie itself. The preserved remains of the two Tsavo lions are now housed at Chicago’s Field Museum, where they remain part of the museum’s collection.
The Ghost and the Darkness is streaming now on Paramount+.
- Release Date
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October 11, 1996
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
Dolly Parton’s sister Stella Parton is taking aim at some of the reactions to her sibling’s death.
Posting a lengthy statement via Instagram on Friday, September 4, Stella, 77, condemned the use of “AI and endless garbage” and “snarky tweets” that have been posted online.
“Sadly, because of the way our lives have been lived in front of the public, we have no choice but to be subjected to incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers,” Stella wrote. “There is a tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and or ignore.”
While Stella expressed her gratitude for fans who have shown “genuine” support after Dolly’s loved one grieved her death, she urged those who were “exploiting” the tragedy to choose a more positive path.
“I ask that you show more compassion and wisdom as we move forward in life. Use my sister’s life as an example for tolerance and respect toward others,” she wrote. “It’s not about the most clever comments, fake AI garbage or snarky tweets.”
Stella continued, “At the end of the day or the end of a life, how will you feel about yourself? It’s not about what other individuals you will never meet think of you!”
Dolly and Stella Parton. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Dolly was known for her positivity in life, and Stella asked followers to channel some of that personality trait that the “Jolene” singer embodied.
“My sister was a positive influence to the world into which she was born. She used her music as a tool and a passion to move people in a positive way,” she wrote, explaining that Dolly believed negativity was “nothing but a huge waste of positive energy.”
Us confirmed that Dolly died on August 25, after a brief battle with an undisclosed form of cancer. She was 80.
Dolly Parton’s sister Stella Parton refuses to “stay silent” about politics. “‘Stella, why can’t you be more like your big sister Dolly and stay silent about the corruption going on in America?’” Stella, 77, wrote via Facebook on Wednesday, June 3. “I cannot and have not stayed silent about the crimes and blatant corruption going […]
“Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright and author, died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee,” Dolly’s rep said in a statement last month. “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth and kindness that made us all feel like family.”
Two days after her death, Stella broke her silence via Instagram.
“My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday. If anyone gets to heaven, I’m sure she made it right on time,” she wrote on August 27. “I know she’s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister’s way.”
Mark Wahlberg is now closer to 60 than 50, but that hasn’t stopped him from keeping in great shape and starring in some of the best action movies in theaters and on streaming. Last year, Wahlberg teamed up with LaKeith Stanfield for the Robert Downey Jr.-produced action thriller, Play Dirty, which was also one of the biggest movies of all time on Prime Video. Wahlberg returned to Prime Video earlier this year for a much more comedic action movie, Balls Up, which co-stars Paul Walter Hauser from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Wahlberg even has a new movie now playing in theaters around the world, By Any Means, which co-stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Abdul-Mateen II recently earned an Emmy nod for his performance in the first and only season of Wonder Man on Disney Plus.
Mark Wahlberg has starred in so many iconic action movies that it’s tough to exactly pinpoint which of his vehicles is the most famous. Some fans would call to memorable movies like The Departed, while others would point to his role in the Transformers films, but one movie that would undoubtedly get its fair share of votes is Shooter. The cleanest elevator pitch to give someone who has never watched Shooter or even heard of the film is that it’s like if Reacher and John Wick were mashed into one two-hour movie. The film follows a former high-level military operative like Jack Reacher who finds himself in a dangerous conspiracy, but it also features some intense hand-to-hand combat and action sequences that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
Is ‘Shooter’ Available To Watch on Streaming?
Shooter is currently streaming on two platforms right now: Paramount Plus and AMC+. All subscribers to both platforms should have little to no issue finding the film in the streaming library. The official synopsis for Shooter, which also stars Danny Glover and Rhona Mitra, reads as follows: “A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes awry and disappears without a trace. Swagger is coaxed back into service after high-profile government officials convince him to help thwart a plot against the President of the United States. Swagger realizes he has been betrayed and becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. Instead of hiding, he seeks revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.” The film earned scores of 47% from critics and 80% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Check out Shooter on Paramount Plus or AMC+ and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Mark Wahlberg’s future projects.
- Release Date
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March 22, 2007
- Runtime
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124 Minutes
Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been fired from the game show.
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” a Sony spokesperson told Us in a statement on Friday, September 4.
The decision comes three days after Thornton, 61, was suspended from the show due to undisclosed allegations made against him.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation,” Sony Pictures Television said in a statement to multiple outlets on Tuesday, September 1.
The reason for Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton’s suspension has emerged. Thornton, 61, was involved in a troubling incident on a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles in May, according to a TMZ article published on Thursday, September 3. A passenger saw and snapped photos of Thornton engaging in what appeared to be a […]
Two days later, TMZ reported that Thornton was involved in an alleged incident on a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles in May. According to the outlet, a passenger saw and took photos of Thornton engaging in what appeared to be a chat room for pedophiles while using a laptop on the flight. Images obtained by TMZ showed that the messages mentioned, “Couple of cute boys and a hot little girl” as well as an “All-you-can-eat Boyfett.
The passenger alerted a flight attendant and provided the photos to the crew. The captain allegedly contacted authorities, who met Thornton at the gate after the plane landed at LAX.
Thornton was reportedly questioned by the authorities before he was allowed to leave. He has not been arrested or charged in connection with the incident.
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, released a statement to Page Six, claiming that the game show announcer had clicked on the website by mistake.
“My client has become active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation,” the statement read. “One of the sites my client has visited is 988lifeline.org, and its chat forum chat.988lifeline.org. … Through an acquaintance in the suicide prevention space, my client was misdirected to a forum with a similar URL … which my client understood to be a forum offering suicide prevention support similar to 988lifeline.org and chat.988lifeline.org.”
Hart claimed Thornton was initially unaware that the site he was accessing provided mental health support to individuals with pedophilic thoughts. Thornton allegedly left the page after realizing its content.
“When my client understood what the website was about, he left the page and has not visited since,” Hart claimed in her statement. “The website … itself is not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content, and my client has never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography, whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.”
However, TMZ noted that the timestamps in the photos indicate Thornton had been in the chat room for at least 57 minutes.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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